The “Smashing” Success Of Giancarlo Stanton

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Major League Baseball currently has several young players that are doing some remarkable things in their respective careers. And one player that is in that mix is Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. After being drafted by the Marlins in 2007, Stanton made his MLB debut in 2010 and he has quickly developed into one of the fiercest power hitters in the game. In 100 games as a rookie, Stanton hit 22 homers. In 2011, Stanton went yard 34 times as he was building his reputation around the league. Last season Stanton was on pace to become the Marlins single-season leader for home runs and he was also in the running to become the first player in franchise history to be named as the National League’s Most Valuabe Player. But last September, Stanton was struck in the face by a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers which abruptly ended his season.

Stanton began this season by wearing a face guard when he was batting. It took Stanton a little bit of time to get adjusted to wearing the face guard as well as mentally getting comfortable once more while batting after the accident, but he still managed to finish the month of April with 6 homers and 21 runs batted in. And like most power hitters, Stanton knows how to hit home runs in bunches.

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/135/files/2014/04/giancarlo-stanton-mlb-miami-marlins-atlanta-braves.jpg

Giancarlo Stanton

So far for this month, Stanton has five home runs to his credit and more could be on the way. It’s not just the homers that Stanton hits, but it is also the force, distance, and overall ferocity that he hits them with. Stanton has already damaged a scoreboard at Marlins Park in Miami and last week he hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium. Some of the rockets that Stanton has launched should have an in-flight movie with them.

In the post-steroid era in Major League Baseball that has been dominated by starting pitching, Stanton provides a breath of fresh air to the folks that still love to see the long ball hit. Stanton is worth the price of admission and then some which is why the Marlins signed him to a 13-year, $325 million contract last off-season. And aside from the actual game, Stanton has once again made batting practice a must see event as fans, teammates, and opponents alike can revel at what he is capable of doing with a wooden bat in his hands.

Stanton already has 165 career home runs under his belt and by the time that this season finishes, he should in the range of 200.

Fear is a word that is the best way to describe what Stanton puts into an opponent. Like most power hitters, Stanton has his fair share of strikeouts as he has done it 792 for his career. But if you’re the Marlins you can happily trade the strikeouts for what Stanton is able to do when he his able to make contact with the baseball. Stanton’s ability at the plate wasn’t enough to save the job of Marlins manager Mike Redmond as he was fired today, but he does give Miami something that they have never had which is a franchise player. When it’s all said and done, Stanton will completely re-write the Marlins franchise record book for offense as this has been a team that is notorious of trading their young talent, but they appear to be on board with the Stanton. And just like the baseballs that he crushes, the folks in Miami and around baseball should just hold on and enjoy the ride.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

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By | 2015-05-17T22:17:03+00:00 May 17th, 2015|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , |0 Comments

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